How InSight Unlocks the Next Generation of IDEAL-CT Data

Is IDEAL-CT still telling you everything you need to know about your asphalt mixes? 

As modern asphalt incorporates more complex materials, relying solely on the traditional load curve is proving insufficient. 

We sat down with engineering pioneer Andrew Cooper, the mind behind the new InSight technology (formerly called MiAS), to explore how high-resolution image analysis and AI are poised to unlock the next generation of asphalt performance data, making IDEAL-CT more robust, repeatable, and ready for Balanced Mix Design (BMD).

Andrew is known in the industry for research and development of key technologies. Now, he's turning his engineering prowess toward solving some of the inherent challenges in modern asphalt mix testing.


What is InSight?

The IDEAL-CT test is widely used by DOTs and contractors to predict the cracking performance of asphalt mixtures. However, as mixtures have become more complex—incorporating polymer-modified binders, rubber, fibers, and higher percentages of RAP and RAS—relying on the load curve alone has become insufficient to fully capture the material's behavior.

Andrew’s solution, InSight, addresses this gap by integrating advanced image analysis and AI directly into the testing process.

The core concept behind InSight is deceptively simple but incredibly powerful: mounting high-resolution cameras on either side of the asphalt specimen during the IDEAL-CT test.

Here’s what this innovative approach allows labs to do:

  • Measure Horizontal Deflection: Andrew's father’s work at the University of Nottingham emphasized the importance of horizontal deformation. InSight brings this crucial measurement to the IDEAL-CT test without the risk and high cost of traditional extensometers or LVDTs, which are often destroyed in the destructive cracking test.
  • Validate Machine Performance: The system also measures vertical deformation, allowing the user to confirm that the testing machine is accurately producing the specified 50 millimeters per minute of loading speed.
  • Track Crack Propagation: InSight is capable of measuring the speed of crack opening when it first initiates. This provides an additional, valuable parameter that can be included in the IDEAL-CT analysis, offering deeper insight into the material's cracking resistance.


The Benefits for Balanced Mix Design (BMD)

For the asphalt industry, the benefits of InSight are substantial and directly impact the success of Balanced Mix Design (BMD):

  1. Reduced Coefficient of Variation (COV): Variability in testing results is a major challenge, with COV sometimes jumping as high as 30%. By providing a more robust and granular set of measurements, InSight helps tighten the COV, enabling states and contractors to implement tighter, more confident material specifications.
  2. Characterizing Modified Mixes: The current IDEAL-CT test does not always differentiate performance between certain complex mixes, such as those with polymer modification or ground tire rubber. InSight’s enhanced data collection quantifies how these modifiers improve the material properties, providing the confidence needed to incorporate them.
  3. Accessibility and Simplicity: Andrew’s goal was to create a system for routine testing, not just high-end university research. InSight is designed to fit standard monotonic loading machines (like those from InstroTek and Humboldt) and is easy for any lab technician—not just PhDs—to use. It adds no extra time to the standard testing procedure.

Andrew Cooper’s InSight represents a significant evolution in asphalt material testing. It takes a test the industry is already comfortable with and enhances it, leveraging modern technology to provide more data, reduce variability, and accurately characterize the complex mixtures of today.

If you are interested in learning more about InSight and how it can enhance your IDEAL-CT testing and Balanced Mix Design efforts, contact us at HMA@instrotek.com.

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💻 Watch the full rundown on The Hot Mix Podcast:

How MiAS will Improve Balanced Mix Design (with Andrew Cooper)

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